Bluing-paddle



.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC ARCHELAUS E. SPENCER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BLUlNG-PADDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,384, dated December27, 1881.

Application filed May 11, 1881.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARGHELAUS E. SPEN- GER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain Improvements in Blning-Paddles; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescriptionof the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to prepare the same.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved means ofpreparing bluing and can be conveniently employed to give the requiredtint to the water for bluing clothes and other articles.

Heretofore it has been customary to employ the bluing in the form oflumps, powder, orin solution but in each case serious inconvenienceshave been encountered. When in the form of lumps the process of solutionis slow and tedious, involving delay and loss of time. When in the formof powder great waste occurs, as the powder is liable to be scatteredinusing the bluing, and, besides, is liable to discolor andinjuresurroundingobjeots with which it may come in contact. When in solutionit requires to be kept in bottles, which are liable to accidentalbreakage, especially in cold weather,when the solution freezes.Moreover, when employed either in powder or solution inclosing packagesor receptacles are required, which is a considerable item of expense.

Paper has been impregnated or coated with bluing and employed insuitably-sized pieces to impart the desired tint to the water; but suchI do not claim.

Heretofore coloring-matter has been packed in a recess formed in the endof a handle, the coloring-matter being housed therein by a covering oftextile material but such differs from my invention, as will hereinafterappear.

My inventionis designed to improve upon the above-enum erated meansofputting up bluing and provide a means whereby the bluing can be put up,as a new article of manufacture, in such form as to be readily appliedto the water with perfect uniformity and in the exact quantitiesnecessary to give any tint or depth of color thereto.

To this end my invention consists in applying the bluing upon thesurface of a strip or paddle of rigid material-such as wood-leav- (Nomodel.)

ing a portion thereof free to serve as a handle, by means of which thepaddle maybe manipulated.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a paddle,showing myinvention applied thereto. Fig.2 represents a sectional viewof the same.

The letter A indicates a paddle, constructed preferably of soft wood,and provided with a handle, B, by which it may be manipulated. The saidhandle is provided with an aperture,

I C,by which the device maybe suspended from applying it to laundrypurposes, whereby it a suitable support. The lower part or blade of thepaddle is coated with bluing by placing it in a solution of thesameuntil coated or saturated, and then removing it and allowing it todry.

When an additional quantity of bluing is required upon the paddle it maybe redipped after drying, so as to allow the coloring-matter to form anadditional coating thereon; and in order to prevent the coating fromcracking and chipping off, some mucilaginous material is dissolved inthe solution previous to applying it to the paddle. Ihave found, inpractice, that dextrine answers well for the purpose, and it is employedin the proportion of aquarter of a pound to a gallon of solution.

In using my improved device the water is simply stirred by the paddle,which gives off its color quickly and with perfect uniformity, and toany desired depth, depending upon the length of time the stirringiscontinued. When the proper tint is obtained the paddle is hung up todry, after which it is readyfor use again.

The paddle may be used overand over again until the coloring-matter iscompletely exhausted, there being no waste of any consequence.

Any of the coloring-matters employed for bluing purposes may be used inconnection with my invention, and hence I do not limit myself to anyparticular materialor compound.

What I claim is' As a new article of manufacture, a paddle having aportion of its surface coated with bluing, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

ARCHELAUS E. SPENCER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. WHITE, WM. W. COLEMAN.

